IND vs ENG: 'Too many captains…' — Ex-India spinner blames KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant for chaos at Headingley
The India team huddle (Photo by)
Former India spinner
Murali Karthik
has raised concerns about multiple players giving on-field instructions during India's first Test match against England at Headingley Cricket Ground, specifically pointing to
KL Rahul
and
Rishabh Pant
's involvement in field placement decisions alongside captain
Shubman Gill
.
The criticism comes after England's five-wicket victory over India in the opening Test of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy 2025, which has given them a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
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The situation emerged on Day 5 of the Headingley Test, particularly after Prasidh Krishna claimed two wickets in the second session. Multiple senior players were observed giving different instructions on the field, creating what Karthik perceived as confusion in the team's leadership structure.
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"At one point I felt there were too many captains," said Kartik on Cricbuzz. "I just couldn't understand that. KL Rahul was making hand movements, Rishabh Pant was also doing it, and so was Shubman Gill who is actually the man appointed as captain. I couldn't understand those multiple hand signals. You wouldn't want to complicate things. There is only one captain."
Karthik further elaborated on acceptable levels of senior player involvement versus what he witnessed during the match.
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"A senior player making slight changes here and there, correcting someone slightly when they feel they are slightly in the wrong position, sending third man or short fine, mid-on, mid-off; these are all fine occasionally. However, so many players taking calls so frequently is not a good sign."
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The Indian team has now moved to Birmingham for the second Test match, scheduled to take place at Edgbaston Stadium from July 2 to July 6, 2025.
Reports indicate that India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah might miss the upcoming match due to workload management considerations.
Meanwhile, England has announced their squad for the second Test match, with Jofra Archer being included in the lineup. The England squad features Ben Stokes as captain, along with players like Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, and Chris Woakes.
The series, named the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy 2025, continues to generate interest as both teams prepare for the crucial second Test. England's victory in the first Test has set the tone for what promises to be an engaging series between the two cricket powerhouses.
The match at Edgbaston will be crucial for India as they look to level the series, while England will aim to build on their momentum from the Headingley victory. The focus will be on how India addresses the leadership dynamics on the field, following Karthik's observations about the multiple decision-makers during the first Test.
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